Clement Freud’s widow ‘sorry’ for his reported sex abuse

LONDON (AP) — The widow of British broadcaster and legislator Clement Freud has apologized after he was accused in a television documentary of sexually abusing two girls.

Jill Freud said in a statement she was “profoundly sorry” about the events.

“This is a very sad day for me,” she said. “I was married to Clement for 58 years and loved him dearly. I am shocked, deeply saddened and profoundly sorry for what has happened to these women. I sincerely hope they will now have some peace.”

Clement Freud, who died in 2009, was the grandson of psychoanalytic pioneer Sigmund Freud. He was a member of Parliament from 1973 to 1987 and also a well-known journalist who wrote about food and sport for many British publications.

The widow’s statement was made public Wednesday ahead of an ITV Exposure documentary accusing Freud of abusing two girls between the late 1940s and 1970s.

One of the accusers, Sylvia Woosley, told the program he molested her for several years.

Woosley, now in her late 70s, said she came forward because she wants “to clear things up before I die … I want to die clean.” She lived with the Freuds for five years, starting when she was 14.

The second accuser has remained anonymous. She says Freud abused her when she was a child and raped her when she was 18.